


Not Cutting Ties

by csichick_2



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-03-28 20:36:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3868942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csichick_2/pseuds/csichick_2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Narcissa isn’t as easily able to cut off ties with her sister.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Cutting Ties

There are two things that have long been known about the Black family: they are always sorted into Slytherin and the always marry into other respected pureblood families, well at least when they’re not marrying a cousin.

And then it all got turned upside down. First Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor, of all houses, which was scandalous enough. And then Andromeda went and ran off with that Hufflepuff boy and married him. And not just any Hufflepuff boy – a mudblood. And that was so much worse any disgrace Sirius and his antics could bring.

While most of the family was quick to cut Andromeda off without a second though – after all appearances are everything – Narcissa struggled with it. She had always preferred Andy to Bella, something obvious to anyone that spent an extended period of time with the three sisters. While everyone else focused on how Andy had betrayed the family, Cissa looked at it different. Andromeda married for love, expectations be damned, and to Narcissa that exhibited a sense of bravery possessed by no one else in the family, not even the token Gryffindor.

Of course the larger question for Narcissa is what she planned to do. She could shun her sister, stay in the good graces of her family, and continue her courtship with Lucius. Alternatively, she could side with Andy and lose everyone, including Lucius. And no matter how much she cares for her sister, she’s not worth losing the love of her life over.

However, her sister is smarter than Narcissa gives her credit for and has devised a way in which the two can have contact, though they must be careful. Owls are out because Bella and Lucius are both far too nosy, so Andy’s plan involves using a go-between. She isn’t exactly thrilled about using Professor Sprout as that person, but she was her brother-in-law’s Head of House and therefore Andy and her husband trust her not to rat them out. Cissa isn’t entirely sure that she trusts her, but it’s not like there’s anyone else. She’s also glad that her genuine interest in Herbology means that no one will question her if the lingers after class for a moment on occasion.

Narcissa keeps the letters infrequent, fearing discovery should she stay after class long often enough for people to start asking questions. And in the case of Bella, assume something far more scandalous than the truth. She both reads and writes them in a secret room she discovered on the seventh floor – it’s always exactly what you need exactly when you mean it. She values the privacy as the letters get quite long and the last thing she needs is someone catching her off guard. As much as she wants to keep Andy’s letters she knows it’s too risky, so the room provides a fireplace that she can burn them in.

This continues for several months with no one being any the wiser, but then the school year comes to an end. In her last letter of the year, Andy includes a set of coordinates, stating that she is there every Tuesday afternoon, and picture of her newborn daughter Nymphadora. Narcissa thinks it’s a horrible name, though their family has a fair number of those, so she supposes she shouldn’t be surprised. She knows the coordinates are for somewhere that Andromeda feels is safe for them to meet, but Narcissa isn’t sure she feels the same way. Bella could easily follow her and then all their hard work would be for nothing.

It turns out that Bella is more interested in getting into The Dark Lord’s good graces than caring about what Narcissa is up to, which should give her the freedom to see Andromeda in person. However, she’s no idiot, she checks out the coordinates from Andy on a Monday just to make sure she wasn’t followed. It’s a small park in a muggle neighborhood that is filled with children, so no one paid her any attention. Narcissa can see immediately why her sister chose this location and when she confirms that on one knows where she went, she feels confident that she can return the next day. And when she meets her niece for the first time, Narcissa decides it was all worth it.


End file.
